Substance or rule
Drugs and Magic Remedies Act: advertising cures for 54 diseases is prohibited
Last checked 10 October 2026
Section 3 of the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act 1954 bars advertisements of drugs for four purposes, including the 54 diseases in its Schedule such as diabetes and cancer; a first conviction carries up to six months (section 7).
- Classification
- Prohibited under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 (ASU and homoeopathic provisions)
- Decided by
- Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act 1954
- Reference
- Act 21 of 1954, sections 3 and 7 and the Schedule
- Latest action
- 26 March 2025
- Last checked
- 10 October 2026
Photo: An Ayurvedic Pharmacy, Rishikesh (1).jpg by Ken Wieland from Philadelphia, USA (CC BY-SA 2.0). All photo credits.
Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act 1954 (full text)
Scope. A record here does not by itself mean a product or company is unsafe or banned today. Regulatory actions can apply to one batch, one formulation, one period or one state. Always check the linked government document for the current position, and tell us if something is out of date. How we label records.
Below: Blacklisted's explanationWe organise and explain what the document says. The document above is the authority.
Key facts
- Section 3 bars advertisements of drugs for
- (a) procuring miscarriage or preventing conception; (b) maintenance or improvement of sexual pleasure; (c) correction of menstrual disorder; (d) the diseases in the Schedule
- Schedule
- 54 items, including diabetes, cancer, blood pressure, epilepsy, obesity, baldness and tuberculosis
- Penalty (section 7)
- First conviction up to 6 months; later convictions up to 1 year
- Supreme Court
- 26 Mar 2025: states directed to appoint DMR Act enforcement officers and set up grievance cells; compliance due June 2025
The Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act 1954 regulates what advertisements may say about drugs. Section 3 bars advertisements of drugs for four purposes: procuring miscarriage or preventing conception; the maintenance or improvement of sexual pleasure; the correction of menstrual disorder; and the diseases and conditions in the Schedule.
The Schedule has 54 items. They include diabetes, cancer, blood pressure, epilepsy, obesity, baldness and tuberculosis. Section 7 sets the penalties: up to six months for a first conviction and up to one year for later ones.
On 26 Mar 2025 the Supreme Court (Justices Oka and Bhuyan) directed states to appoint enforcement officers under the Act and set up grievance cells, with compliance due in June 2025. The Jun 2026 Maharashtra seizure of Divya Pharmacy products was made under this Act.
What this means for you
It governs advertising claims
The Act is about what an advertisement says a drug can do. A DMR Act action does not report a lab-test failure.
Seizure is not a ban
The Jun 2026 Maharashtra seizure of Divya Pharmacy products was made under this Act and is before the Bombay High Court.
This is a record of official orders, not medical advice. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without asking your doctor or pharmacist.
Common questions
Which diseases are in the Schedule?
There are 54 items. They include diabetes, cancer, blood pressure, epilepsy, obesity, baldness and tuberculosis. Read the Act for the full list.
Official sources and primary records
- Gazette
- Supreme Court vacates stay on AYUSH Ministry's notification that permitted advertisements of ayurvedic, unani, siddha drugsNewsLiveLaw · 11 August 2025